The Machine Wars
by Tuxedo Mark
Summary: Captain N: The Game Master Season 6 Takes place after Wholly Crapimony. A giant, worlddevouring planet named Unicron makes itself known, and the N Team can't stop it by themselves. Cowritten with Matt Slater.
1. More Than Meets The Eye

"THE MACHINE WARS" PART 1: "MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE" 

Captain N: The Game Master

Season 6

"THE MACHINE WARS"

PART 1

"MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE"   
WRITTEN BY  
MARK MOORE  
AND  
MATT SLATER

  


Author's note: The following story uses characters from the animated TV series "The Transformers"; however, the story is _not_ a crossover between the two TV series "Captain N: The Game Master" and "The Transformers". What I have done is adapted "The Transformers: The Movie" to fit in Videoland, the game universe that Kevin Keene was pulled into. The TF characters are the same as they are in their own TV series. However, I have dropped quite a lot of characters and plot from the TF movie, having no use for them. I hope you enjoy this unique, yet familiar, story. 

  
Friday, September 8, 1995, 12:33 PM 

    The dirt flew wildly as a still-sliding Pak pushed himself from the sandy ground which he had just been so unmercifully thrown upon. He spat out a mouthful of the earth and readjusted his sunglasses.     He felt the sun beating down on his shoulders. He questioned on whether or not the Desert World was a battle ground beneficial to either combatants.     "You have a choice, boy!" Pak announced. "I don't get paid for bringing your hide in to anyone, so you can either leave me alone," A smile crept across the man's lips, "or you can make this thing personal."     The white-armored robot aimed his guitar blaster, staring at his opponent through sunglasses that were stolen in their first confrontation. "Personal?" Riff almost choked on the words. "I've been chasing your ass for how long, and you don't think it's personal?"     For several moments, the two stood, weapons aimed at each other. Both had quick reflexes and extremely sensitive instruments. Pak could strike with a flick of his finger. Riff could counter with a pluck of a string.     It was a moment of mutual respect between the two. Of his time as Pak, Douglas Piedmont had come across no one who matched him the way Riff could. The bounty hunter had to admit to himself, had the robot not sworn revenge for the near-death of his older brother, the two would make quite the pair of outlaws.     A heavy shadow broke the moment. Both looked up, wide-eyed, mouths agape.     Pak was the first to speak. "Draw?" he asked, swallowing deeply.     Riff nodded absently. "Draw." Not taking his eyes off the shadow's owner, he called "Chord!"     A white sled slipped down from the sky, right at the robot's side.     "Megaland! Now!" Riff yelled.     The bounty hunter watched the younger warrior flee for safety. However, upon attempt, Pak found he could not move - at all. He stared, in a still-panic, as a purple light reached out and engulfed him. 

    "Open up!" Riff insisted, banging on the front door of the N Team's home in Megaland. "C'mon! Does this open door policy end when the new guy's in immediate danger?!"     Riff gave up on the door just as it opened.     In the doorway stood Julius Jones, the token strong man of the group. "Duh, sorry. Forgot how to work the knob."     Curious, Riff walked inside and examined the wall. "It runs on this panel." he said, pointing to a hi-tech locking mechanism. _"You're_ the knob." He pushed past the big man, going inside. "Where are the others?"     "Duh, on the patio."     "Thanks." Riff darted up the staircase in the living room of the N Team's home, bringing him up to the second floor. He ran through the hallway and found himself before an open glass door. He stepped out onto the patio, his clanking feet alerting Kevin, Mike, Lana, and Rick to his presence.     Mike smiled from his lounge chair. "Riff! Long time no see!"     "What brings you by?" Kevin asked.     "What brings me by?" Riff gestured Kevin over to the patio's guard rail. He pointed high into the air, his white metal finger singling out a particular object. _"That_ brings me by."     The rest of the present N Teamsters assembled to gaze at the large gray orb that seemed to be approaching Megaland.     "What in Videoland is _that?"_ Rick asked. "A planet?"     Kevin gasped. "It's Unicron!"     "Who's Unicron?" Rick asked.     "It's a villain from 'The Transformers: The Movie' from 1986. I heard rumors about a game that was made over in Japan, but I had no idea - "     "Well," Rick asked, "what's it want?"     "Dude, you don't know what you've been missing." Mike told him.     "It devours worlds to power itself." Kevin explained. "I'd say Videoland is quite large enough to suit its tastes. If he isn't stopped before he destroys this place, I don't think he'll _ever_ run out of power."     Lana racked her brain for any sort of command. _How can the N Team stop this menace?_ "Mike, find Mega Man and get a closer look at that thing."     "How? I can't fly."     "Use the Warp Wagon!" Lana shot. "Do I have to think of everything?!"     Frightened of any royal wrath, Mike nodded and ran into the house to make the necessary preparations. 

    "Slow down!" a raspy voice commanded, directing itself at the larger-than-usual red sports car that was racing its way down the streets of downtown Capital City, Megaland. "You're liable to hurt somebody!"     The red car spun to a halt, facing its criticizer, which could be best described as a blue low-riding pick-up. "Relax," a young impetuous voice emitted from the sportster, "I know what I'm doing."     "We're here to _help_ these people, not run 'em over."     As if on cue, the vehicles began to buzz and click and change in form until two large robots stood in the center of downtown, debating. Passers-by stopped and stared, but seemed to accept it as natural.     "Excuse me!" the red robot called to the crowd. "My name is Hot Rod. My friend here is Kup. We have a matter of great importance to discuss with your leaders."     "Well," an elderly female spoke up, "the Princess and her friends live about five miles that way." she said, pointing to the east.     "Thank you, ma'am." Hot Rod bowed slightly, and the two paraded off. 

    When Pak's eyes fluttered open, he found himself in a room filled with alien technology - a system of gears and levers mixed with energy tubes and glass viles of mysterious fluids.     "Where am I?" he growled. "Who are you?"     "I," a deep, powerful voice boomed through the room, "...am Unicron."     "Hiya, Unicron. My name's - "     "Piedmont. I know who you are."     The voice ceased, and Pak stood in the room, not sure what to do.     "I offer you...a gift." Unicron continued.     "What kind of gift?" Pak asked, slightly interested, but very concerned for his safety.     "Power." Unicron answered. "Ultimate power. Do you accept?"     "What's the catch?" Pak asked before a powerful pain and a green light overwhelmed him.     "I'll take that as a 'yes'." Unicron calmly joked.     Through several devices within the chamber, Unicron observed Piedmont's transformation. It took only a minute, at most, before Pak was released from the light.     He looked down at himself, examining the white bodysuit he was now clad in. Heavy black boots encased his feet, and his hands were covered in thick black gloves.     On the top of each glove, barely behind the knuckle, were sensors with wires leading up his sleeves and down into a small computer which sat on his chest. In turn, the computer had several wires of its own, parading around his back into a battery pack.     But perhaps the finest touch, in Pak's opinion, was the single lens of black glass that wrapped his eyes, almost as if it was plastered to his face.     "Satisfied?" Unicron asked.     Pak smiled. "Very. But, like I asked, what's the catch?"     "There is another like you. He leads a small army. While they do not seem like much, they are capable of great tasks - including my destruction."     A few monitors shimmered to life, and Pak quickly noticed and identified the man in question. "Keene. Don't worry, Unicron. I can take care of this guy."     "Do not underestimate him, Douglas Piedmont. And do not cross me. And should the thought cross your mind,..."     Pak screamed as he felt a horrible red glow stem from within his own brain.     "...take this with you as a reminder of your obligations." 

    "Wadaya see, Mike?" Kevin asked over the Warp Wagon's intercom.     The white ship was steadily orbiting the planet that slowly inched its way closer and closer to Megaland.     "Anything?"     "Metal." Mike answered. "Lots and lots of metal. Hey! Wait a sec-" Mike squinted in the sunlight, trying to catch a glimpse of his subject. "Son of a motherless goat."     "What?!" Kevin anxiously asked.     "Pak! But he looks a little different."     "Unicron _and_ Pak?" Kevin sighed. "This is _not_ a good day." 

    Kevin was standing in the Communications room.     "Get back here." Kevin ordered.     "No argument from me." Mike answered.     Kevin shut off the microphone and set it down.     Suddenly, the viewscreen turned on. Dr. Right's image was on it.     "Captain N! Have you seen it?!"     Kevin nodded. "Yeah! What do we do?"     "Start by telling me what it is." 

    Kevin stepped back onto the balcony. The N Teamsters and Riff were gathered there, staring in wonder and fear at Unicron.     Lana turned around. "Well?"     "I explained the situation to Dr. Right." Kevin said. "Dr. Shiroshi just warped over to his lab. The two of them, Proto Man, and Mega Girl are going to figure out a way to stop Unicron."     The Warp Wagon arrived and hovered in place in front of the balcony. Mike and Mega Man hopped over the guard rail and joined the others.     "Good, we're all here." Kevin said. "Now - "     Just then, a warp zone opened up, and out stepped the N Team's good friends from an alternate Earth - Mark Moore, Matt Slater, and Mandi Paugh.     Mark smiled. "Hey, guys."     "We just thought we'd drop by and see what's up." Mandi said.     Mike slowly gestured at the sky.     Mark, Matt, and Mandi slowly looked up.     "Oh, crap." Matt said. 

    The N Teamsters, Riff, and the three alternate Earthlings were seated at the table in the Conference room. Several monitors were raised from the table, and they displayed Dr. Right's image.     "The entire planet-like structure is very large." Dr. Right said. "Perhaps indestructible."     The monitors switched to Dr. Shiroshi's image.     "Our own weapons probably won't be of much help." Dr. Shiroshi said. "We don't know _what_ can stop it."     "I think _I_ do." Mike said.     He was reading Volume 1, Issue 15, of "The Transformers", dated April of 1986. The story was called "I, Robot Master!"     Mike showed them page 17. "A tank!"     Everyone else groaned.     "We'll warp over." Kevin said. "Maybe we can help you better face-to-face." 

    "Is this all?" Dr. Right asked.     The N Teamsters present were Kevin, Lana, Mike, Stacey, Rick, Romeo, Julius, and Mega Man.     Lana nodded. "I'm afraid so. Simon's on Castlevania; Kid Icarus is on Mount Icarus; Duke, well, he has a habit of not being around; and Gameboy's at Dr. Shiroshi's house."     "But you've got _us!"_ Mark said with a big grin, hugging Mandi and Matt, who also grinned.     "That definitely raises my confidence." Dr. Right said insincerely.     "Okay, so all this was in a movie, right?" Dr. Shiroshi asked.     "More or less." Kevin said.     "So, how was Unicron destroyed in the movie?"     "Oh, I know!" Stacey said excitedly. "The Autobots and the Junkions attacked on the outside, and Hot Rod totally screwed him with the Matrix."     "Very good, Stacey. You get a cookie." Matt told her.     "Hmmm..." Dr. Right thought.     However, before he could come up with any ideas, a hole was blown in one of the walls of the lab.     There stood Pak. "Hey, Princess Loser and her Nitwit Team."     Immediately, the N Teamsters drew their weapons.     "Please, not in the lab!" Dr. Right begged. "This equipment's very expensive! Take it outside!"     Pak ran over and grabbed a bunch of equipment, then threw it through the hole in the wall. "Done."     Stacey was struck with fear at Pak's super strength. "Oh, shi-"     Before she could finish vocalizing her colorful metaphor, a car and a truck zoomed into the room and hit Pak.     Pak was knocked to the floor. He quickly got to his feet and ran off.     The car and truck went through their transformation sequences and revealed themselves to be robots.     "Wow!" Kevin said in excitement. "It's Kup and Hot Rod!"     "This is so awesome!" Stacey said.     "Of course, _you_ have no idea who these guys are." Mike told Rick.     "Wow! We're famous!" Hot Rod said with a smile.     "Are you guys okay?" Kup asked.     Lana nodded. "Yeah."     "Dr. Right, if it's not too much trouble, let's get everyone to Autobot City." Hot Rod said. "We've got very good defenses there."     "An excellent idea, Hot Rod." Dr. Right said. "Dr. Shiroshi and I will stay here to look after the lab, just in case Pak returns."     "Autobot City?" Kevin asked in surprise.     Kup nodded. "Four-million years ago, an Autobot ship known as the Ark left our home planet of Cybertron in search of a new source of energon. But chasing the Ark was the Nemesis, the flagship of the Decepticon Space Fleet. The Decepticons boarded the Ark, and a battle between the Autobots and Decepticons ensued. Both ships were pulled into Megaland's atmosphere by gravitational forces. The Ark crashed into a volcano on the other side of Megaland. When the volcano exploded in 1984, the Ark's computer was activated, and the Autobots and Decepticons were repaired and resumed fighting. Eventually, Autobot City was established near the volcano."     "I've been here for six years tomorrow, and I never knew about this." Kevin looked at Dr. Right. "Why didn't you ever tell me about this?"     Dr. Right shrugged. "You didn't ask." 

    Autobot City was transformed for battle.     "Everything's ready." Hot Rod said. "If Pak comes, we're prepared for him."     "Good." Kevin said.     Just then, a door opened, and some more robots walked into the room.     Stacey grinned. "Hey, it's Blaster and Arcee!"     Just then, they all heard sounds of explosions outside.     "Is it Pak?" Lana asked.     Hot Rod looked out the window. "It's the Decepticons!"     "Great,...the Decepticons." Matt muttered. "It couldn't be sweet harmless Pak. It couldn't be Dr. Wily. It's gotta be the Decepticons!"     "Fire the rockets!" Arcee yelled.     Rick pressed a button and fired a rocket. It exploded, knocking Megatron and Starscream over.     Megatron stood up. "Constructicons! Merge for the kill!"     The Constructicons merged, forming a large robot.     "Devestator." Kup said in terror.     Devestator began pounding on the wall in an attempt to destroy it. Rick fired another rocket. The rocket impacted on Devestator, causing him to lose his balance and fall down.     Kup looked at Hot Rod, Mega Man, Mega Girl, and Proto Man. "I've got an idea! C'mon!"     The five of them left the room.     "Hurry! Contact Optimus Prime!" Arcee yelled at Blaster.     Blaster transformed into his cassette deck mode and linked to the satellite dish on the roof of the building.     "Optimus Prime! Do you read me?! The Decepticons are blitzing Autobot City! We're really takin' a pounding! Don't know how much longer we can hold out!"     "Soundwave, jam that transmission!" Megatron ordered, pointing at the dish on the roof.     Soundwave stepped forward and pressed his Eject button. "Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage, Ratbat, eject. Operation: Interference."     The four robot cassettes ejected and transformed. They landed on the roof, tore off the dish, and threw it down.     "Crap." Mandi said. "Now what?"     "It got through." Matt assured her.     "Are you sure?"     "Mandi, if we get out of this, rent the movie." Mark told her. 

    On the other side of Megaland, deep within Skull Castle, Dr. Wily was in his factory.     For months now, ever since his last attempt to conquer Megaland had failed, the evil scientist had been hard at work building up his forces for the ultimate attack. Now, with the attack of this Unicron, and the N Team being busy halfway around the planet with the Decepticons, was a perfect time for him to strike.     The factory was building Robot Masters and lesser robots. Most of these were old, since it was easier and faster to construct old models from existing plans than to design new models. But there were quite a bit of new robots.     Dr. Wily laughed. "What a perfect time to attack! The Nitwit Team will be totally unprepared!" 

    Back in Autobot City, Optimus Prime had arrived. He was standing in the city, looking at the devastation.     "Megatron must be stopped," he said, "no matter the cost."     He transformed into his vehicle mode, a truck, and his trailer appeared and attached to him. He began driving down the street and knocking over Decepticons. He then transformed back into robot mode, and his trailer went back into subspace. Prime flew through the air, firing down Decepticons with his gun. He then landed and continued firing.     Soon, he found Megatron.     Megatron turned to face him. "Prime!"     "One shall stand." Optimus Prime said. "One shall fall." 

    Inside the building, the girls were busy fighting off the cassettes. The guys had gone outside to take of the rest of the Decepticons.     Mandi was having a bit of trouble with Ravage, who had taken a liking to her right arm. "Cats are cute, but there are some things they just shouldn't do to people!" She shook her arm furiously. "Get off of me, you Deceptikitty!"     Mandi managed to throw off Ravage, who landed on Stacey's chest. The valley girl shrieked.     The four girls in the room managed to boot the cassettes out the door.     Suddenly, Mandi pointed. "Look!"     Everybody ran outside and looked at where Mandi was pointing.     Megatron was firing at Optimus Prime. "Fall! _Fall!!!"_     Prime fell to the ground.     Megatron, badly damaged, threw Hot Rod away, stood up, and looked down at Optimus Prime. "I would've waited an eternity for this. It's over, Prime!"     Optimus looked up at him. "Never!"     He swung at Megatron and knocked him over a ledge. Megatron landed on the ground below.     Hot Rod walked over to Prime, knelt down, and held him. "Optimus, forgive me."     Starscream walked up to Megatron, a sadistic smile on his face. "How do you feel, mighty Megatron?" He kicked Megatron, then turned. "Astrotrain! Transform and get us out of here!"     Stacey was firing a laser rifle. "The Decepticons are retreating!"     Kup stood up. "Prime did it. He turned the tide."     All the Decepticons that were able to walk boarded Astrotrain.     "Astrotrain! Take off!" Starscream ordered.     Astrotrain sped up, then converted to flight mode and took off.     Suddenly, a red figure climbed up on top of Astrotrain.     "Who's that?" Arcee asked.     "It's Proto Man!" Mandi said in surprise. "But...he looks different!"     Proto Man, his figure darkened against the rising sun and his yellow scarf blowing in the wind created by the flight, stood on top of the ship. He was taller now - 5'7" to be exact - and was more detailed. He had some kind of black pattern on his chest, and he was staring at the people on the ground.     Proto Man thrust his right arm into the air. "Decepticons forever!"     Then, to everybody's amazement, Proto Man transformed into a cassette! He fell through the hatch he had come out of and dove into Soundwave.     Soundwave transformed into his cassette deck mode and linked to Astrotrain's external speakers.     Then, heard by everyone on the ground, the Season 1 ending theme music from "The Transformers" fired up and blared from the speakers: 

    The humans and robots on the ground watched as Astrotrain soared off into the distance. 

**TO BE CONTINUED...**   
New material copyright © 1999 by Mark Moore and Matt Slater

Material novelized from "THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE"  
Copyright © 1986 by Sunbow Productions Inc. 


	2. Robots In Disguise

"THE MACHINE WARS" PART 2: "ROBOTS IN DISGUISE" 

Captain N: The Game Master

Season 6

"THE MACHINE WARS"

PART 2

"ROBOTS IN DISGUISE"   
WRITTEN BY  
MARK MOORE

IN MEMORY OF  
CHRIS LATTA  
1949-1994

  


Author's note: The following story uses characters from the animated TV series "The Transformers"; however, the story is _not_ a crossover between the two TV series "Captain N: The Game Master" and "The Transformers". What I have done is adapted "The Transformers: The Movie" to fit in Videoland, the game universe that Kevin Keene was pulled into. The TF characters are the same as they are in their own TV series. However, I have dropped quite a lot of characters and plot from the TF movie, having no use for them. I hope you enjoy this unique, yet familiar, story. 

  
Friday, September 8, 1995, 8:15 PM 

    Silence filled the room as everybody gathered around the table. The badly-damaged body of Optimus Prime lay in front of them.     "Do not grieve." Prime said weakly. "Soon...I shall be one with the Matrix."     Hot Rod stepped forward. "Prime, - "     Optimus turned his head painfully. "Arcee, it is to you. I shall pass the Matrix of Leadership, as it was passed to me."     "But Prime, I'm not worthy." Arcee said sadly.     Optimus took her hand. "Nor was I. But one day, an Autobot shall rise from our ranks," he said weakly, "and use the power of the Matrix to light our darkest hour. Until that day, 'til all are one."     Prime opened up his chest plate and took out the Matrix. He faltered and dropped it. Hot Rod caught it, and, after feeling its power for a moment, handed it to Arcee, who put it on a chain and hung it around her neck.     "Lead them well, Arceus Prime." Optimus said weakly.     The lights in Prime's eyes flicked, then they went dark completely. His body turned grey, and then he died.     Mark turned away and looked at a monitor. "Megatron just went off-line."     Matt shrugged. "Oh, well. Recycle him." 

    Pak was walking down a street, away from Dr. Right's laboratory.     Suddenly, he clutched his head in pain and let out a scream.     "You disappoint me, Piedmont." Unicron told him in his mind. "You have not completed your mission."     "Screw the mission!" Pak yelled. "You didn't tell me the N Twits had such powerful friends! Now get out of my head!"     "Defeat Captain N," Unicron said, "or pay with your life."     Pak screamed out in pain. 

    Astrotrain was flying through space. Inside, Mega Man, Proto Man, and Mega Girl stood in the cargo bay with the Decepticons.     Mega Man looked the same, except he was now 5'7" tall. Proto Man looked the same, except he was now 5'7" tall and had a black pattern on his chest in the form of a video cassette.     Mega Girl had undergone the biggest change. She stood 5'7", the same as her brothers. Her pink armor was gone. Her titanium body was clothed in a white-and-red outfit and knee-high dark-red boots. Her long blonde hair was tied in the back by a hair band. She looked perfectly human.     The three robot siblings were watching in amusement as the Decepticons argued amongst themselves.     "Fellow Decepticons," Starscream said, "I nominate myself as the new leader!"     Scrapper stepped forward. "Wait! The Constructicons form Devastator, the most _powerful_ robot. _We_ should rule."     Soundwave stepped forward. "Soundwave superior. Constructicons inferior."     "Who are you calling inferior?" Bonecrusher demanded.     "No one would follow an uncharismatic boor like you!" Hook added.     Rumble, Frenzy, and Ravage ejected.     "Hey, nobody calls Soundwave un-krossa-matic!" Rumble yelled.     "Yeah, let's kick tailgate!" Frenzy added.     "Constructicons unite!" Scrapper called.     The Constructicons began to join.     "No way!" Rumble yelled. His piledrivers knocked them down.     Civil war ensued within Astrotrain's cargo bay.     Rock, Roll, and Blues smiled. As long as the Decepticons were fighting themselves, they couldn't hurt anyone else. 

    The good guys decided to clean up the mess in Autobot City caused by the attack.     Mark and Mandi were carrying a fallen girder over to a pile.     "What I don't get is why Proto Man is with the Decepticons." Mandi said.     "I don't understand it either." Mark said.     The two of them threw the girder onto the pile.     Matt walked by, holding a stack of boxes. "I should get Cletus to do this."     "Now, Matt," Mark said, "you can forgive him for the cardboard boxes incident."     Matt threw the boxes down and wiped sweat from his forehead. "Mark, that job was as frustrating as reading his source code."     "You've got a point there."     "If Proto Man - and possibly Mega Man and Mega Girl - are helping the Decepticons," Mandi said, "we're in a lot of trouble."     "Yeah, what are they gonna do next?" Mark asked with a smile. "Raise the Nemesis?"     "Dude, don't joke about that!" Matt chided.     The three of them walked back into the building.     Suddenly, Dr. Right's face appeared on a monitor. "N Team, get back here at once! Dr. Wily's attacking!"     "Aw, swell!" Lana said in frustration.     "We'll go take care of Wily." Matt volunteered. "You guys can stay here and clean up."     "Gee, _you're_ anxious to get out of here." Mandi observed.     "It's either Robot Masters or Decepticons." Matt said.     Mandi thought for a moment. "Let's go!" 

    The three of them appeared in a yellow glow on a platform in Dr. Right's laboratory. It lowered them down to the floor, and they stepped off.     Dr. Right ran up to them. He handed Mandi a datapad. "Here's a list of the Robot Masters and the places they've taken over."     Mandi read the list. "Looks like Dr. Wily's cutting costs. These are all old Robot Masters. Elec Man, Ice Man, Fire Man, and Cuts - eck - Man. What is this, Dr. Wily's Revenge?"     "Probably." Mark said.     "They're running wild and tearing up the town." Dr. Right explained. "Those are the _nice_ ones!"     "So, how do we stop them?" Matt asked.     "You three will warp through Capital City to the areas they've got in their steely grips." the scientist said. "Every Robot Master is hiding in his own special maze, filled with monstrous machines that fit his personality. You've got to run, blast, dodge, and leap your way through the dizzying rooms to finally corner the big boss."     "Yep, Mega Man I for Game Boy." Mandi concluded.     "Mark, you'll use Rush. Matt, you'll use Chord. Mandi, you'll use Tango, a new robo-kitty Li and I invented. I've programmed them to respond to your voices. Just call them when you need them. Now go to it! Hurry!" 

    They warped into Elec Man's area.     Mark drew his Zapper. "All right, team, let's do it to it!"     Mandi drew her Zapper. "Lead the way, Captain M."     Mark looked at her. "Uh, maybe _you_ better lead, Mandi."     Mandi grinned and twirled her Zapper. 

    Arceus was just getting used to having the Matrix of Leadership hanging from a chain around her neck. She studied her reflection in the mirror.     Rick walked into her room. "Arcee? Er, Arceus?"     She turned and looked at him. "What?"     "Conference."     She nodded and followed him. 

    The N Teamsters and the Autobots stood on the front lawn outside the house.     "I called you here to our house due to the danger of another attack on Autobot City." Lana said. "We have five problems: Unicron, Pak, the Decepticons, Dr. Wily,..." she listed, then paused for a moment before continuing, "and the apparent defection of three of our friends."     Everyone was silent for a moment.     "Suggestions." Lana demanded.     "I think we can handle Pak and the Decepticons." Rick said. "We should send two team members to help Mark, Mandi, and Matt deplete Dr. Wily's forces."     Lana nodded. "Agreed."     "We'll deal with Mega Man, Proto Man, and Mega Girl if - _when_ we see them again." Kevin said.     Lana frowned at Kevin's vocalization of "if", but let it slide. "Right. And Unicron?"     "Beats the heck outta me." Mike said.     "No brilliant ideas from your comic books?" Lana asked. 

    Mark, Mandi, and Matt warped into Dr. Right's laboratory.     Dr. Right and Dr. Shiroshi were waiting for them.     "Hey, you guys should've seen Mandi!" Matt said with a grin. "She was awesome fighting Enker!"     "And the way she took out Wily's Space Node!" Mark added.     Right and Shiroshi remained silent.     "What's up, Docs?" Mark asked.     The two scientists looked at each other briefly, then back at the kids.     "Thomas and I have just detected more Robot Masters in the city." Li said with great worry.     "What?!" Matt blurted.     "Which ones?" Mandi asked.     "Metal Man, Air Man, Crash Man, and Wood Man." Dr. Right listed, then handed Mandi the datapad.     "Mega Man II." Mandi said.     Matt groaned. "Let's go." 

    _"Get out here, you Autobutts!!!"_     The N Teamsters and the Autobots came outside at the rude noise. The Autobots transformed into their robot modes.     "Piedmont." Kevin drew his Zapper.     "I'm Pak, I'm bad, I want the Matrix, and I'll kick your ass to get it." Pak aimed his Power Glove at Kevin. "Plus I gotta kill ya."     "No!" Arceus Prime yelled. She ran and pushed Kevin out of the way, taking the blast herself.     The Matrix flew off her neck and landed on the grass.     Pak picked it up. "Well, one outta two ain't bad." He hung the chain around his neck and teleported away.     Arcee got up off of Kevin. "Hey, are you all right?"     Kevin nodded. "Yeah." He gasped. "The Matrix!"     Arcee looked at her chestplate, then got up and searched the grass. "It's gone!" 

    Mark, Mandi, and Matt were in the factory that Metal Man had taken over.     "Let's see if we can fly." Matt said. "Chord Board!"     The eagle teleported in at Matt's feet.     "Rush Jet!" Mark called.     The robo-dog teleported in at Mark's feet. He looked a bit different. Dr. Right had done some modifications.     "Tango,...uh,...Tango Too-Cute Titanium Travel!" Mandi blurted.     The robo-kitty teleported in at Mandi's feet and meowed.     "Aw, how adorable." Mandi said with a smile.     The three humans hopped on their respective vehicles and soared into the air, blasting robots as they encountered them. 

    Matt, Mandi, and Matt warped back to Dr. Right's laboratory.     "Whoo!" Mandi yelled in triumph, swinging her Zapper around. "Quint just got sent to the scrap heap!"     "Bad news." Li said. "While you were gone, Dr. Wily was discovered drilling for oil - and possibly some other power sources - in the middle of the ocean. He's probably gonna put it to some devious use."     Mandi lowered her arm sadly. "Mega Man III."     "We can't handle this!" Matt yelled.     "That's why you're getting help." Dr. Right said.     Romeo and Julius walked into the room.     Romeo smiled. "Hey, dudes."     Matt groaned. "Oh, no." 

    "Astrotrain, reverse course." Mega Man ordered.     Astrotrain turned around and headed back to Megaland.     "I believe we can take on the Autobots now." Mega Man said to everyone. "You all have repaired yourselves well enough after the last battle. Wadaya say, Roll? You ready?"     Roll thrust her right arm into the air. "Yeah, bro! Decepticon rule forever!" she said in her new teenage voice.     "Anyway, now that I'm your leader, how about some suggestions?" Mega Man asked Starscream.     Starscream growled, upset that he had lost to Mega Man in the fight to lead. "While we were attacking Autobot City, Soundwave sent Laserbeak to fly around and gather data. He came back with a compact disc that contains information on the defenses of Autobot City. We will be able to use the data to our advantage in our next attack!"     "No, I plan on attacking the N Team's house."     "What?!"     "The N Team is the greater threat. Once we kill them, destroying the Autobots will be easy."     "Yes, mighty Mega Man." Starscream grumbled. 

    "That punk, Punk, and Giant Suzy are outta the game." Mandi said upon their return to the lab, then blew on her Zapper like a cowgirl.     "Uh," Dr. Shiroshi began, "...I don't know how to tell you this,...but - "     Mandi stopped her. "Lemme guess: Dr. Wily crashed the first annual Robot Master expo by reprogramming the robots in the display cases, chaos ensues throughout the world, and we gotta kick titanium tail."     "Yep, that's about it."     Mandi sighed. "Datapad please." 

    The Decepticons and Dr. Right's robots jumped out of Astrotrain and landed on the N Team's front lawn.     Lana gasped. "Mega Man? Mega Girl?"     "Soundwave, eject Blues!" Mega Man ordered.     "As you command, Mega Man." Soundwave pressed his Eject button. "Blues, transform!"     Proto Man ejected and transformed into his robot mode.     "Fire!" Starscream ordered.     Proto Man turned around and blasted Soundwave.     Suddenly, before everyone's eyes, Mega Man transformed into what looked like a double-barreled Zapper. He fired plasma at the Constructicons.     Roll suddenly transformed into a motorcycle and ran into Starscream, knocking him down to the ground.     "You traitors!" Starscream yelled.     "We could use some help here, guys!" Mega Man yelled, firing his Mega Buster.     Small cannons rose up out of Roll's arms, just behind her hands. She fired at the Decepticons.     Likewise, Blues transformed his arms to arm cannon configuration and helped out his siblings.     The Autobots and the other N Teamsters also fought the Decepticons, eventually driving them off.     Lana walked up to the Right robots. "Mega Man, what in Videoland is going on?!" 

    Mark, Mandi, Matt, Romeo, and Julius warped into Dr. Right's laboratory.     "Ballade and Triple Eye have gone to the scrap heap." Mandi said. "What's next?"     Dr. Right grinned. "Nothing."     "You mean it's over?" Mandi asked in surprise. "Wily's given up?"     Dr. Right nodded. "That's right! You can leave now!"     Mandi fainted. 

    A warp opened in the N Team's living room, and Mark, Mandi, Matt, Romeo, and Julius walked out. Romeo and Julius left the room.     "Well, Wily's forces have been trashed." Mark said.     "We gave him one humongoid repair bill." Matt added.     "Good work, guys!" Lana praised the three.     "So, we miss anything?" Mandi asked.     "Oh,...not much." Lana said with a grin. She whistled.     Rock, Roll, and Blues walked into the room.     Mandi's jaw dropped. "What the hell happened to you guys?!"     Rock grinned. "While the Decepticons were attacking Autobot City, Kup and Hot Rod took us to a lab and built us new bodies."     "I even got a new voice. I don't sound like a baby anymore." Roll added with a smile. "They also gave us transformation capabilities."     "Show us!" Mandi said.     One at a time, the androids transformed. Rock turned into his double-barreled Zapper. Blues turned into a cassette, which all of them had already seen. Roll transformed into a motorcycle.     Mark smiled. "Hey, kinda like Cy-Kill on 'Challenge of the Go Bots'."     "Ugh! Don't mention that show!" Matt said in disgust.     "It's not all that bad!" Mark said.     The three androids transformed back into their robot modes.     "You know, I wonder what the transformation sequence would sound like vocalized." Mark said. "Oh-oh-ah-ah-ee!"     "No, I think it's chhh-chh-chh-chhu-chu!" Matt said.     "Me, I prefer wonka-wonka-wonka!" Mandi put in.     "You're _all_ wrong!" Lana insisted. "It's chee-chee-cha-cha-choh!"     Mega Man decided to settle it. "The transform sound begins as an 8-hertz pulse repeated five times for .7 seconds, each repeat whose pitch can be represented by the absolute value of a declining sine wave, with each zero-to-zero arc of the wave representing one of five cycles of the repetition. The actual value of the sine wave can be modified by factor N, which is multiplied into the X value but divided into the Y value, which means that, although the actual pitch is largely indefinite, in analog terms, when the transform pitch is higher, the length of each pulse is shorter, and conversely when the pitch is lower, the length of each pulse is longer."     The four humans stared at him.     Matt smiled. "I like corn."     "Anyway, what happened next?" Mandi asked eagerly. 

    Rock, Roll, and Blues boarded Astrotrain.     "Hey, Deceptidudes, what up?!" Blues asked with a grin.     Starscream turned and faced them. "Where did _you_ come from?!"     "Yo, we want in, man!" Blues said. "We know the secret handshake 'n' everything!"     The Decepticon leader looked at them in confusion. 

    "Starscream was skeptical, but we convinced him to let us join the Decepticons." Mega Man said.     "I was given a cassette transformation so I could stay inside Soundwave and listen in on the Decepticons' plans." Proto Man added.     Mandi smiled. "Fits your style. You're the secretive one."     "And what did you find out?" Mark asked.     "During the attack on Autobot City, Laserbeak flew into the lab and stole a compact disc filled with information on Autobot defenses." Proto Man said. "We've gotta get it back. If the Decepticons use that information to wipe out the Autobots on this planet, they can easily conquer Megaland!"     "Let's take to the streets!" Lana said. 

    The Autobots cruised down one of the streets of Capital City.     Kevin, Mike, and Matt were riding in Hot Rod. Mark, Mandi, and Stacey were riding in Arcee. Rock, Blues, and Blaster were riding in Kup. Lana was riding on Roll.     Just then, they heard the sounds of an attack.     Looking up at the sky, they saw Starscream, in flight mode, flying straight toward them. Other Decepticons were behind him.     "What do we do?" Mike asked.     "Beats me." Kevin answered.     Suddenly, Lana drew her Zapper and fired at Starscream.     "Lana, are you nuts?!" Kevin yelled in shock.     "Don't worry, I've got a plan!" she assured him. "Follow me!"     Lana and Roll took the lead, and the Autobots followed.     "I, like, _hate_ it when she does that." Stacey complained.     The Decepticons gave chase. 

    The Autobots and their friends, with Lana and Roll in the lead, drove into an alley.     "Club Zero?" Kevin asked in surprise. "Lana,...why?"     Lana hopped off Roll. "You'll see. Follow me!"     Lana ran into the side entrance, and the others got out of the vehicles and followed her. 

    "Where'd they go?!" Starscream demanded.     "Inside the building named Club Zero." Bonecrusher informed him.     "Then so will we!" Starscream said. "Decepticons, follow me!" 

    The Constructions destroyed the door, and the Decepticons walked into the main room of Club Zero.     What they saw wasn't what they expected.     Kevin, Lana, Stacey, and Mike were up on the stage. Kevin was playing a guitar, Lana was playing a bass guitar, Stacey was playing a keyboard, and Mike was playing drums.     Seeing this momentarily confused the Decepticons.     The band was playing the ending theme music from Season 3 of "The Transformers": 

    The Decepticons began making their way towards the stage, pushing aside dancers as they went.     Suddenly, a boombox on stage began transforming. The Decepticons had assumed it was part of the sound equipment. However, it soon had completely transformed to reveal itself as Blaster.     Blaster pressed his Eject button. "Sic 'em!"     Rewind, Eject, Steeljaw, Ramhorn, and Blues ejected and transformed. They landed on the Decepticons and quickly became an annoyance to them.     The band continued playing as Mark, Matt, and Mandi got into position on one of the rafters. They aimed their weapons.     The three of them fired, hitting some of the Decepticons. The Decepticons turned around, spotted them, and returned fire.     The three humans on the rafter dodged and ducked.     "Okay, what the hell are we gonna do now?" Matt asked.     Mandi thought for a moment, then stood up and holstered her Zapper. She grabbed hold of a ladder and began climbing.     "Mandi!" Mark yelled. "What are you doing?!"     "Cover me!" Mandi yelled back.     Mark and Matt looked at each other and shrugged, then stood up and fired at the Decepticons.     Mandi climbed across the stage on the ladder that was high above it. Eventually, she reached the other side. She climbed down, then jumped the last few feet.     "What the hell's she doing?" Matt asked.     Mark shook his head. "No idea."     Mandi drew her Zapper and hooked it up to the amplifiers' power supply.     The band abruptly stopped playing the music.     "You will all die, pathetic flesh creatures!" Starscream yelled.     "Ahem."     The Decepticons turned and faced Mandi.     Mandi was aiming her Zapper directly at Starscream's chest. "This Zapper is hooked up directly to the club's power source. That means it's pretty darn powerful."     Starscream became frightened. "You wouldn't."     Mandi grinned sadistically. "Twinkle, twinkle, little Starscream."     She pressed the trigger.     The blast must have been at least a hundred times greater than a normal Zapper blast. Starscream's features were illuminated blue for a few seconds, then he turned black and crumbled into ash.     Matt stared in shock. "Oh,...hell,...yeah."     The other Decepticons suddenly started firing.     "Like, I think we better get out of here." Stacey suggested.     "Hey, Stacey, you actually have a good idea." Lana commented.     All the humans and good robots ran out of Club Zero. 

    Once outside, the N Teamsters, Mark, and Matt took off in the Autobots.     Roll transformed into her vehicle mode. "Hop on, Mandi!"     Mandi got onto the motorcycle, then chuckled. "Roll for it!"     "Oh, shut up." Roll muttered in annoyance.     She sped away and caught up with the others. 

**TO BE CONTINUED...**   
New material copyright © 1999 by Mark Moore

Material novelized from "THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE"  
Copyright © 1986 by Sunbow Productions Inc. 


	3. Our Darkest Hour

"THE MACHINE WARS" PART 3: "OUR DARKEST HOUR" 

Captain N: The Game Master

Season 6

"THE MACHINE WARS"

PART 3

"OUR DARKEST HOUR"   
WRITTEN BY  
MARK MOORE

  


Author's note: The following story uses characters from the animated TV series "The Transformers"; however, the story is _not_ a crossover between the two TV series "Captain N: The Game Master" and "The Transformers". What I have done is adapted "The Transformers: The Movie" to fit in Videoland, the game universe that Kevin Keene was pulled into. The TF characters are the same as they are in their own TV series. However, I have dropped quite a lot of characters and plot from the TF movie, having no use for them. I hope you enjoy this unique, yet familiar, story. 

  
Saturday, September 9, 1995, 7:23 AM 

    Dr. Wily pounded his fists on a control panel. He was furious. Overnight, most of his forces had been destroyed. He had quite a bit left, but he wasn't sure if it was enough to conquer the world.     He stood up and walked over to his new Warp Zone Shifter. "Almost done. Just a few more days of work."     Of course, it took a lot of work on his part to build a new Shifter. The schematics for his old Shifter had been destroyed when Skull Castle was blown up over two years ago. All Dr. Wily had to go on were Quinn Mallory's timer schematics and his own memory. Converting sliding to warping wasn't easy, for the two technologies weren't as similar as they sounded. But he had done it. Soon, he would be able to test his new Warp Zone Shifter.     And then Videoland would be his. 

    Rock and Roll were on patrol a few miles from Dr. Right's laboratory.     "These new bodies are neat!" Roll said.     Rock grinned. "Yeah. And you look cute!"     Roll slapped him. "I'm still your sister!"     Suddenly, a humanoid robot teleported down in front of them. Rock immediately pushed Roll behind him.     "So, you are the famous Mega Man!" the robot said. "I am Terra, and you will soon be my slave!"     "Leave, Roll!" Rock yelled.     "But - "     "Go home!"     "You're just sending me away cuz I'm a girl!" Roll yelled, but left anyway.     Mega Man began firing at Terra. When his normal shots bounced off, he powered up his Mega Buster and fired...to no effect.     Terra fired at Mega Man. The blast sent his reeling backwards.     "What?!" Mega Man yelled in surprise. "My Mega Buster has no effect on him..." 

    A few hours later, the world was attacked by warrior robots from space. 

    Rock awoke in a repair machine. His eyes slowly opened. "Where am I?"     He got out of the repair machine and walked over to his creator.     Dr. Right was working at a computer. He turned and faced Mega Man. "Mega Man, our world is once again in chaos. The alien robots call themselves 'StarDroids' and have conquered most of our major cities. They are constructed of alien material which render our weapons useless. But, I have done some analysis and constructed a new weapon for you. It will replace your Super Mega Buster."     Mega Man tried it out.     "It is called the 'Mega Arm', and it allows you to charge energy in your fist before you fire it."     Tango teleported in.     "I have also created a new assistant for you. His name is 'Tango'."     Tango teleported out.     "I'll enhance this item replicator to make powerful items for you. Collect as many P Chips as possible and return to my lab to exchange them for power-up items. Good luck, Mega Man."     Mega Man turned and ran off, then teleported away. 

    Mega Man got Roll, Blues, Riff, Kevin, Lana, and Mike to help him.     With all of them working together, they defeated Mercury, Neptune, Mars, Venus, the Rock Monster, Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto, Uranus, Terra, Enker, Quint, Punk, Ballade, and, of course, Dr. Wily. 

    After Sunstar was destroyed, the group just stood in silence.     "Guess that's it for the StarDroids." Kevin said.     "Man, we kicked their ass." Mike declared.     "Dr. Right, come in." Rock said.     "Dr. Right here." the scientist said inside Mega Man's helmet. "How are you progressing?"     Rock grinned. "We wiped the floor with 'em!"     "Excellent! I'm on my way over. I would like to study this alien technology." 

    "This technology is incredible!" Dr. Right exclaimed, examining a bulky machine.     "Let's make off with it before Wily shows up and learns how to use it." Mike suggested.     "Good idea." Dr. Right said. "We'll teleport it back to my lab and - "     "Dr. Right!" Dr. Wily yelled. He ran into the room. "That technology is mine!"     "Dr. Wily!" Dr. Right yelled.     Dr. Wily tackled him, and the two scientists fell to the floor.     "Midget fight! Midget fight!" Mike yelled.     The two scientists rolled over to the machine that Dr. Right had been examining. They accidentally activated it.     "Dr. Right, look out!" Lana yelled.     Dr. Right and Dr. Wily were caught in a blast by the machine. Everyone watched in terror, not knowing what to do. The energy field surrounding the scientists grew bright green - so bright that they could no longer be seen.     After a minute, the light died down. Everyone gasped at what they saw.     Dr. Right and Dr. Wily were lying on the floor, but their appearances had changed. The two scientists got to their feet.     Dr. Right was over five feet tall. He had snow white hair, including a mustache and beard.     Dr. Wily had undergone the same transformation, though he lacked a beard and still had a bald spot on his head. On each of his hands were five digits instead of the previous four.     "Dr. Right?" Lana asked.     "What happened?" Dr. Right asked in a new voice.     "Let's get you back to your lab." Kevin said.     "And buy you some new clothes." Mike added. "You don't look very professional walking around in the buff."     The good guys all teleported away. 

    Dr. Right looked in a mirror. "Astounding. So, the alien device did this?"     "That's right." Li Shiroshi said, walking forward. "It essentially gave both you and Dr. Wily new bodies. You're human."     "I'm confused." Mandi said. "Weren't they _already_ human?"     Li shook her head. "No. There are two distinct races in Megaland. One is human. Cathy Bennett and I are examples of the human race. Humans are characterized by tall height and five digits per hand. Most of the population of Megaland is human. The other race, which is quickly dying out, is megan. They are characterized by short height and only four digits per hand, but occasionally five. Dr. Right and Dr. Wily were megan until just recently, when they were transformed into humans."     "Oh. Well, at any rate, Dr. Right looks like he's supposed to." Mandi grinned. "By the way, dig the new threads, Doc."     Dr. Right grinned. He too loved his new white lab coat.     "Now if we can only get you to change your name." Mandi added. 

    Guts Man and Cuts Man were in Dr. Wily's laboratory, performing some diagnostics on a machine.     They turned at the sound of footsteps and saw their creator standing in the doorway. Well, not really. There wasn't enough light. They only saw a shadowy figure.     "Is that you, Dr. Wily?" Cuts Man asked.     "Yes." came the reply. But it didn't sound like Dr. Wily. The voice sounded clearer.     Dr. Wily stepped into the room. The Robot Masters gasped.     "What happened to you, Dr. Wily?" Guts Man asked.     "I've had a change...for the better." 

    The N Team, the Autobots, Dr. Right, Dr. Shiroshi, Roll, Blues, Mark, Mandi, and Matt were all gathered in the backyard of the N Team's house.     "So it's agreed." Kevin said. "We attack Unicron and retrieve the Matrix."     "Sounds like a plan." Mike commented.     Just then, a warp opened. Andres Thalheimer, Mark's Internet friend, walked out.     "Hey, guys." Andres greeted.     "Andres, um,...this really isn't a good time." Matt said.     "Why not?" Andres asked.     "Because we're gonna attack Unicron." Mark said.     "What?!"     "Everybody into your ships." Li instructed. "Stacey, you fly the Warp Wagon."     "Fly?!" Stacey yelled. "Like, no way! Count me not in!"     Li smiled. "Stacey, this'll be the perfect opportunity for you to overcome your fear of flying."     "Oh, all right." Stacey agreed reluctantly. "But can I at least see the pilot's manual before we take off?"     "Stacey, if you'd read as a habit rather than on an as-needed basis, you'd already know how to pilot the Warp Wagon." Lana told her.     "Hey, I'll have you know I read a few books every month!" Stacey yelled at her.     "Betty and Veronica won't do you any good in the unfriendly skies!" Lana yelled back.     "Enough, both of you!" Dr. Right yelled. "Into the ships!" 

    Pak was standing on the rim around Unicron's yellow mouth-region. The Matrix was hanging from the chain around his neck.     Pak held the Matrix up. "Yo, Unicrap! See this! I got the Matrix! It scares ya, doesn't it?! You ain't so bad now! Who's the man?! Huh?! Who's the man?!"     "You gloat too much." Unicron replied.     The "floor" beneath Pak's feet split open, spilling light out. Unicron transformed into his robot form. Pak stared in shock. He ended up standing just below Unicron's chin.     Unicron picked Pak up and threw him into his mouth. Pak screamed.     Just then, a bunch of ships flew at Unicron.     "I don't believe it." Kup said.     "Doesn't this _remind_ you of anything, Kup?" Hot Rod asked.     Kup shook his head. "Nope. Never seen _anything_ like this before."     "This is it, guys!" Kevin called. "Stacey, how are you holding up?"     The Warp Wagon was spinning.     "I hate this!" Stacey yelled.     "Let's kick his metallic ass!" Mike yelled.     The ships began firing at Unicron.     Unicron noticed them and attacked. He spit blue flames at them. Death Star-class laser beams lanced from his optics, blasting a hole through the Autobots' ship.     Hot Rod grimly steered it right through Unicron's left optic window. All the Autobots spilled out and fell into Unicron's guts. Hot Rod got hung up on a spike and was separated from the rest.     "Mark, Matt, Mandi, Andres, go in after them!" Kevin ordered.     "You have got to be kidding." Mandi muttered.     They did as they were told. They bailed out of their ships once they were inside Unicron. The ships hit the walls and exploded. 

    Hot Rod fell off the spike, even deeper into Unicron. He landed on the floor.     He stood up and wandered around, then caught sight of some lights in the shadows - one blue, the other two, above it, red.     "The _Matrix!"_ Hot Rod exclaimed.     Pak stepped out of the shadows. "Yeah, that's right, and I got it, which means I'm the man!"     Suddenly, Pak screamed as Unicron tormented his mind again.     "Destroy him, Piedmont." Unicron ordered. "Destroy him, or you shall be obliterated!"     "Okay! Okay!" Pak yelled. He charged up his Power Glove and fired at Hot Rod.     Hot Rod evaded the blast. 

    Outside, the ships were firing at Unicron and dodging his blasts. They were causing some serious damage.     "Uh-oh!" Rick yelled. "This baby's taken too much damage! I gotta bail!"     Rick ejected from his ship, and it exploded. Unicron screamed.     Stacey brought the Warp Wagon over, and Rick landed in the back seat.     Stacey looked at him and grinned. "Need a lift?"     Suddenly, Mike grinned. "That's it! Kevin, Lana, Simon, Mega Man, Roll, Blues, eject! Head for the Warp Wagon!"     Mike ejected from his ship.     Kevin grinned. "I gotcha!"     Everyone ejected from their ships and landed in the Warp Wagon.     "You want me to take over?" Kevin asked Stacey.     "Like, no way!" Stacey yelled. "I'm havin' too much fun!"     The other ships all exploded, causing Unicron a lot of pain. 

    While the N Team attacked Unicron outside, Mark, Matt, and Andres looked at their surroundings.     "Hey, where's Mandi?" Matt asked.     Suddenly, they heard a yell. The three guys looked up and saw Mandi falling from a spike.     Mark reached out with his arms and caught her.     Mandi gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, kind sir!"     Mark grinned. "I always knew you'd fall for me someday." 

    Pak was firing repeatedly at Hot Rod. Hot Rod transformed and drove away. Then he turned and drove at Pak, knocking him against a wall.     Pak leapt into the air and tackled Hot Rod. "Die, bastard!"     Suddenly, Hot Rod grabbed the Matrix.     Light spilled from the Matrix. Pak let go of Hot Rod. Hot Rod grabbed the Matrix from his neck, breaking the chain.     Hot Rod grew larger.     "No!" Pak yelled. He quickly punched buttons on his Power Glove.     "You have failed me, Douglas Piedmont!" Unicron yelled. "I take back what I have given you!"     Pak reverted back to his old self. _"No!!!"_     A warp opened, and Pak fell into it.     _"Damn you, Unicron!!!"_     "Now, light our darkest hour!" Rodimus Prime said, pulling the shell of the Matrix apart.     The dazzling sapphire gem in the center began sparking, and a coruscating globe of lightning grew around him. Unicron's components began to destruct. 

    "What's going on?!" Mandi yelled as the area around them began exploding.     "No time to answer that now. Let's get outta here!" Andres yelled.     Just then, Unicron's fingers tore into the compartment. The four humans all ducked.     Mark pointed. "Look!"     Rodimus showed up, the corridor behind him starting to explode. "Autobots, transform and roll out!"     Rodimus transformed, his new form sharing stylistic details with his old, but this time sporting a trailer. His canopy popped open, and the four humans climbed in.     "I knew you had potential, lad." Kup said, then transformed.     The other Autobots present also transformed. They drove out and crashed out through Unicron's right optic window. 

    Unicron was having problems. He was spewing blue light from a hundred fractures. His internal sensing monitors exploded. He pulled off a leg.     Kevin noticed the Autobots escape. "They're out! Everybody retreat!"     The Warp Wagon and the Autobots flew away.     "Destiny!" Unicron yelled. "You cannot...destroy...my..._dess-ti-nee!!!"_     His head popped off. Then his body exploded.     Stacey looked at Matt. "Now where's my damn cookie?" 

    Later on, back in Megaland, the Autobots, the N Teamsters, and their friends had gathered outside to hear a speech.     Rodimus Prime stood before them. "Let this mark the end of the Cybertronian Wars as we march forward to a new age of peace and happiness - 'til all are one!"     The other Autobots all repeated "'til all are one!" a few times.     A warp opened, and Kristen, Heather, and Ken exited it.     "Hey, Lana, we're back from Hoopland." Kristen said.     "Larry was awesome!" Heather added.     "We miss anything?" Ken asked.     Lana smiled. "Not much. Just the Machine Wars."     "The what?" Kristen asked. Then she saw who were there. "Wow! The Autobots! Awesome!"     "Yay." Heather commented emotionlessly.     A short distance away, Mark, Mandi, and Matt were waiting.     "I got him!" Riff called.     Riff walked by, holding a struggling Dr. Wily.     "Let me go!" Dr. Wily yelled. "I have robots that will come after you if they don't hear from me!"     "You don't have crap, Wily." Mandi said. "We beat all your robots, and Mega Man 7's already passed in this universe."     "I will fight you!" Wily yelled. "I will triumph! Release me, I say!"     Mandi drew her Zapper and pointed it at the evil scientist. "Listen, Colonel Sanders, I really ain't in the mood for your babbling. Shut up, or I'll try out an extra-crispy recipe on you."     Dr. Wily didn't say another word.     "I place you under arrest." Mandi said. "Now, as for your punishment, I will make you watch twelve straight hours of live-action television!" Mandi threw her head back and laughed: "Ah-ha-ha-ha!"     "No, even better: soap operas!" Mark said.     "Mark, that's cruel and unusual punishment." Mandi told him.     "No, we should make him watch Jerry Springer with all the punches edited out." Matt suggested.     "You're mean, man." Mark told him.     Dr. Wily screamed and activated a teleporter in his pocket. He teleported out.     "Damn." Matt said.     "Yep, he does chicken right." Mandi quipped.     Mike walked over. "Hey, Riff, why weren't you fighting with us earlier?"     "Well, while you were off fighting Unicron, I went and defeated Star Man, Bright Man, Napalm Man, Stone Man, Wave Man, Toad Man, Quick Man, and Dr. Wily. Then I brought him here."     "Mega Man for Game Gear." Mandi supplied.     Mike nodded.     Riff held up a disc. "And guess what. I boarded Astrotrain and got back the disc that the Decepticons stole from the Autobots."     Mike took it. "Cool! I bet they know it's missing by now!"     "Nah! I substituted a CD I found in your room - 'The Transformers: The Movie' soundtrack."     "You what?!" Mike yelled. "Dude, it's hard to find those!"     "Well, sorry." Riff said, offended.     Mike whistled. "Chord Board!"     The eagle flew down. Mike knocked Riff onto Chord.     "Hey, what're ya doin'?!" Riff yelled.     "You're gonna get my CD back even if you get blown up! Chord, go!"     Chord took off, and Riff's yells could be heard even from a distance. 

    On board Astrotrain, Bonecrusher walked over to the other Decepticons. He was holding a disc in one hand.     "Let's take a look at this Autobot disc. We may still be able to defeat them!" Bonecrusher placed the disc in a drive and checked the monitor screen. "Ten tracks. Let's see..."     He selected track 10. All of a sudden, 'Dare to be Stupid' by Weird Al Yankovic began playing.     Rumble and Frenzy ejected from Soundwave and began dancing.     "All right, get down!" Rumble yelled. 

    Put down that chainsaw and listen to me.     It's time for us to join in the fight.     It's time to let your babies grow up to be cowboys.     It's time to let the bed bugs bite. 

    You better put all your eggs in one basket.     You better count your chickens before they hatch.     You better sell some wine before its time.     You better find yourself an itch to scratch. 

    You better squeeze all the Charmin you can     When Mr. Whipple's not around.     Stick your head in the microwave and get yourself a tan. 

    Later on, in the N Team's house, Mark and Mandi were sitting at the kitchen table, eating blueberries.     Matt walked by and grinned. "Now, now, you know where eating blueberries can lead to."     Mark and Mandi responded by hitting Matt in the forehead with blueberries.     "They struck me with blueberries!" Matt said in disbelief.     "Careful, we've got more!" Mandi warned.     Matt sat down at the table. "Man, I'm glad all this is over."     "Until the Hate Plague hits." Mark reminded.     Matt eyed him. "Shut up."     Mark and Mandi chuckled and ate some more blueberries.     "Anyway, guys, it's almost lunch time." Matt brought up. "Rather than eating the stuff Romeo and Julius are making, let's get some food."     "I'm with you." Mark said. "Where to?"     "I was thinkin' about Boston Market." Matt said.     "Nah, we won a big battle, and we nearly arrested Dr. Wily." Mark said. "We need something appropriate to the situation."     "KFC!" Mandi suggested with a grin.     "Excellent idea!" Mark said. 

    That evening, thousands of people gathered at the Megaland concert hall to hear Captain N & The Video Game Masters play a victory concert.     The entire N Team, Kristen, Heather, Ken, Mark, Mandi, Matt, Andres, Dr. Right, Dr. Shiroshi, and their robots were seated in the first row. The Autobots stood in the aisles.     The band members walked out on stage. The audience cheered.     After Kevin and Lana tuned their guitars, and after Stacey had turned on her keyboard and Mike had twirled his drumsticks, the four of them turned on their microphones.     "Good evening!" Kevin said. "Wow, what a turnout! Anyway, it's great to be here. A long battle is behind us. I wasn't sure we would survive, but we did. We've also made some new friends. Without their help, we wouldn't be here. So, our concert tonight is dedicated to them. Ladies and gentlemen, the Autobots!"     The audience cheered and applauded for the robots.     "Our songs tonight come from the soundtrack to 'The Transformers: The Movie'." Kevin informed the audience.     "We practiced off of _my_ copy of the soundtrack." Mike added with a pleased smile.     Riff grumbled.     "Let's do it!" Kevin said. "1, 2, 3, 4!"     Mike started out with drums, then the others came in. 

    Transformers! 

    Something evil's watching over you,     Coming from the sky above,     And there's nothing you can do! 

    Prepare to strike! There'll be no place to run     When you're caught within the grip     Of the evil Unicron! 

    Transformers,     More than meets the eye!     Transformers,     Robots in disguise! 

    Strong enough to break the bravest heart!     So we have to pull together.     No, we can't stay worlds apart. 

    To stand divided we will surely fall,     Until our darkest hour,     When the light will save us all! 

    Transformers,     More than meets the eye!     Transformers,     Robots in disguise!     Transformers. 

    Autobots wage their battle to     Destroy the evil forces of     The Decepticons. 

    Transformers,     Transform! 

    Kevin and Lana launched into some incredible guitar playing, after which the final verse was sung: 

    It's judgment day, and now we've made our stand!     And for now the powers of darkness     Have been driven from our land! 

    The battle's over, but the war has just begun!     And this way it will remain     'til the day when all are one! 

    Transformers!     Transformers!     Transformers!     Transformers!     More than meets the eye!     Transformers! 

    The song ended. The audience stood and cheered and applauded wildly. The Autobots' clapping nearly brought the concert hall down.     The band members smiled and took bows. 

**GAME OVER**   
New material copyright © 1999 by Mark Moore

Material novelized from "THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE"  
Copyright © 1986 by Sunbow Productions Inc. 


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